Effects of Auditory Training in Children and Adolescents Who Have Suffered a Stroke

Introduction: Studies on the assessment and rehabilitation of auditory skills are still scarce in the literature in children and adolescents diagnosed with cerebrovascular accident (CVA).Objective: To analyze the immediate effects of auditory training (AT) on CAP behavioral tests in children and adolescents who have suffered a CVA. Methods: Study approved by the Research Ethics Committee (#505/2010). Initially, 10 children/adolescents (seven girls) were selected, referred by the children`s stroke clinic of the institution`s hospital, aged between 7 and 15 years (10.9 ±2.92), basic audiological assessment within normal limits and absence of conditions that compromised the understanding of auditory tasks. All children underwent behavioral assessment of the CAP, which consisted of the following tests: Digit Dichotic (DDT), Pediatric Sentence Identification (PSI)/Synthetic Sentence Identification (SSI), Gaps in Noise (GIN) and Frequency Pattern TEST(FPT), in addition to having the Hearing Abilities Self-Perception Questionnaire (QAPAC) answered by parents/guardians. Participants who showed changes in at least one CAP skill were invited to participate in an AT program consisting of 8 sessions (one session per week) of 45 minutes each. The sessions were based on activities to stimulate auditory skills, memory and attention. After completing the TA, the children were reassessed using the same procedures applied in the assessment. Results: Nine of the 10 children evaluated showed changes in at least one test and six children consented to undergo AT (n = 6, mean age = 10.67 ±2.07, four girls). In the comparison between the pre- and post-TA moments, there was an effect with statistical significance and a relevant size for the Moment factor in the PSI/SSI (p=0.016), TPF (p=0.006) and QAPAC (p=0.026) tests and despite the non-statistical significance, GIN presented relevant effect size (ES) in this analysis (ES = 0.249). In the post hoc analysis, ear influence was observed, with improvement in both ears post-AT, being more evident in the left ear (p=0.014 in PSI; p=0.004 in TPF). Conclusion: It was possible to verify the positive effect on auditory behavior performance after an AT program in the studied sample. Auditory training is a useful tool for rehabilitation in children and adolescents affected by stroke.